Pipe-perforating machine



May 5, 1925. 1,536,433

W. W. HARTMAN v PIPE PERFORATING MACHINE Fi led March 31, 1925' 4Sheets-Sheet 1 May 5, 1925. 1,536,433

' W. W. HARTMAN PIPE PERFORATING MACHINE Filed March 51, 1923 '4Sh'eet'svSheec 4- 25. [or/26y.

Patented May 5, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM WALTER HARTMAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PIPE-PERFORATING MACHINE.

Application filed Il /[arch 31, 1923. serial No. 623,206.

To (All whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WiLLIAM ainan HARTMAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and Stateof California, have invented new and useful Improvements inPipe-Perforating Machines, of which the following isa detailedspecification.

This invention has to do with devices for forming openings in a wellpipe, such as to form what is known as well screen. As will be readilyunderstood from the following description, the mechanism of my inventionmay be used for forming openings in any tubular member; but, as the mostprevalent use of such perforated tubular members is for well screen, Iwill describe the operation of my mechanism with that final product inview.

l-leretofore well screen has been made in a variety of manners; one ofwhich is perforation of the well pipe. Such perforations or openingsdirectly in the pipe have been made in a variety of manners; typicalamong which is punching from either the inside or the outside.

My invention provides an automatic machine for cutting perforations fromthe inside of the pipe. Such perforations, in the form of slots, haveheretofore been cut from the outside of the pipe; but my machineprovides a means for cutting such perforations or slots from the insideof the pipe. The machine is also automatic in its operation to properlyspace the perforations and to get them into any general arrangement orpattern that is desired.

All of these features and many others will be best understood from thefollowing detailed specification wherein I explain a preferred andspecific form of mechanism that embodies and is illustrative of m yinvention,

reference for this purpose being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine; Fig. 2 a side elevation with parts inlongitudinal section; F ig. 3 is an enlarged vertical longi tudinalsection of the head end of the machine; Fig. 4 is a similar view of thetail end of the machine, showing the parts in position corresponding tothe position shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross section and endelevation on line 55 of F 'ig. 4; Fig. 6' is a longitudinal section ofthe head end of the machine, showing the parts in positions other thanshown in Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a similar view of the tail end of the machineshowing the parts in position corresponding to that of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 isa cross section on line 8 8 of Fig. i; Fig. 9 is a head end View; Fig.10 is an enlarged detailed section on line; 101O of Fig. 3, showing thecutter in its operative cutting position; Fi 11 is a similar viewshowing the cutter inoperative; Fig. 12 is a view, similar to that ofFig. 9, showing a modified gear train;

and Fig. 13 is an elevation of a pipe cut by my machine, modified as inFig. 12.

In the drawings I show a suitable base frame 10 that has two parallellongitudinal ways 11 much like a lathe bed; and on these ways twocarriages 12 and 13 are adapted to move. These carriages may be moved byhand, by the hand wheels 14; or they may be moved, during the operationof the mechanism, by the action of a lead screw 15 on which split nuts16 of the two carriages may be closed by the operation of handle 17.Means are also provided of any of the ordinary known kinds, operated bya handle 18, to set either of the carriages immovable on the ways.

At the head end of the machine a drum 20 is carried in bearings 21, thisdrum being large enough interiorly and long enough to receive the cutterhead 22 when that head is run through the pipe P and run out beyond itsend that appears at the left in the drawings. The end of drum 20 carriesa face plate 2.4.- into which the end of pipe P may be screwed, and thisend of the drum also carries a driving gear 25 that meshes with driv-'ing pinion 26 on the main drive shaft 27. The other end of the pipe(the right hand end as shown in the drawings) has its collar 28 held ina face plate 29 mounted on a sleeve 30 rotatable in bearing 31; and thesleeve 30 has a driving gear 32 that meshes with an other driving pinion26 on main drive shaft 27. By this arrangement both ends of the pipe Pare supported and rotatively positive ly driven from the main driveshaft. The bearing 31 is mounted on a carriage 33 that is slidable onways 11 so that pipes of different lengths may be accommodated in themachine.

Lead screw 15 is driven at the head end of the machine through gears 35from a gear on main drive shaft 27.

Cutter head 22 is preferably cylindrical and of a diameter that fitswithin the pipe P, cutter heads of different diameters being colprovided for the various diameters of pipe that may be machined. Thecutter head 22 is slidable longitudinally through the pipe P; the headbeing at a position such as is illustrated in Fig. 1 when the operationsbegin, and being fed toward the left, through the pipe and then on intodrum 20, as the machining operations progress. The cutter head ismounted on the end of a tube 40 whose tail end is held rigidly in theupper boss 13 of carriage 13, the cutter head being thus held againstrotation and being longitudinally movable with carriage 13. A gear shattl1 extends through tube 40, this shaft being mounted at its tail end ina bearing 42 of carriage 12, rotatable but immovable longitudinallyrelative to the carriage; so that although shaft ll may be rotated it ismoved longitudinally with carriage 12. At its head end this shaft llcarries a long pinion L3 that can rotate and also move relativelylongitudinally in the longitudinal bore 4 1- of cutter head 22. Gearshaft 41 may be supported at tube 10 by bearings 45 at suitable points.

Gear shaft ll has in it a longitudinal spline 4G engaged by sliding arm18; and shatt ell is oscillated by the action of arm 48 operated by cam49 which is driven by gears 50 and 51 from main drive shaft 27. Gear 51may preferably be loose on the drive shaft and rotatably connectiblethereto by the clutch 52 operated by handle 53, the clutch member 52being splined to drive shaft 27 so that gear 51 and its driving clutch52 may move longitudinally along shai't 27 as carriage 13 moveslongitudinally of the frame.

The action of cam a9 is to oscillate gear shaft 11 through a small arcand thereby rotate the long pinion 18 back and "forth through a smallarc. The cutter head 22 has in it a number of transverse bores thesebores being chordal rather than diametral of cutter head 22 and eachbore adapted to carry a tool carrier 56 slidable longitudinally of thebore and having rack teeth 57 adapted to engage the teeth oi the longpinion 13. Each carrier 56 carries a cutting tool 58 set and held inproper position by a set screw 59, for instance; and by the oscillationof gear 43 these several, tool carriers with their tools are adapted tobe moved between such positions as shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 10. Theamount of longitundinal movement of each tool carrier is sulticient toadvance a tool outwardly a distance somewhat more than the thickness ofthe pipe being machined; and the depth to which each tool cuts out intothe wall of the pipe is regulated by properly setting tools 58. Forinstance, in Fig. 11 I show the tool 58 set so that. when carrier 56 ismoved out to the position shown in Fig. 10, the tool will cut to a depthonly slightly outwardly into the pipe wall; while in Fig. 10 I show atool set far enough outwardly .in the carrier to cut to a depth clearthrough the pipe wall. The position of the tool shown in Fig. 11 ischaracteristic of the tool at the left hand end of the cutter bar (inthe aspect shown in the longitudinal sections) while the position of thetool shown in Fig. 10 is characteristic of the cutter at the right handend of the cutter bar. And the tools in the carriers intermediate thetwo end ones are graduated in position between these two extremes. Inother words, the tool at the head end of the cutter bar only moves outfar enough to cut to a small depth outwardly into the wall of the pipe;while each successive tool toward the tail end of the cutter path is seta little further outwardly so that each successive tool takes a deeperout; until the last tool cuts clear through the pipe wall.

In the particular arrangen'ient herein shown, and for purposes that willbe understood from what I say hereinafter, the several tool carryingbores in cutter head 22 are not arranged in the same plane but areangularly shifted with relation to each other so that the ends of bores,where they come to the peripheral surface of cutter head 22 are arrangedon a spiral line. This spiral arrangement is for the purpose of cuttingthe openings in the pipe in spiral rows, as will be readily understood.In Figs. 10 and 11 I show in dotted lines at the relative position ofthe next bore, with relation to the bore that is shown in section inthat figure; and each succeeding bore then bears the same relativerelation to the next bore.

In the operation of this mechanism the cutter head 22 and gear 13 arepacked toward the tail end of the machine. the cutter head occupying aposition somewhat to the right of that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and thegear 43 being drawn back within the cutter head. lVhen the parts are inthis position the pipe P may be readily placed in the ma chine ready foroperation. Then power is applied to the machine to rotate the pipe, thelead screw 15 being simultaneously rotated. The carriage 12 is then,connected with the lead screw to teed the tool operating gear 43 up tothe relative position shown in Fig. 3. The cutter head 22 may have aguide sleeve 22 to give a bearing support to gear 43 when in thisrelative position. Or. instead of running the carriage 12 up byoperation of lead screw it may be run up to position by hand; but in anycase the carriage 12 is then locked to the Frame so that tool operatinggear 13 will remain in the position shown in Fig. 3 until the cutterhead 22 has moved up to such a. position that the gear 41-3 is entirelywithin the cutter head and is engaged on the tool carriers. lVhen gear43 has been moved up to the position shown in Fig. 3, the cutter headhas still remained in its position to the right, with its head endoutside the end of the pipe. The car riage 13 is then connected to leadscrew 15 and the head begins to feed toward the left or toward the headend of the machine. As soon as the first tool carrier moves far enoughto the left to engage the end of gear 43, then this gear begins, by itsintermittent oscillatory movement, to intermittently move that toolcarrier out into cutting engagement with the pipe wall; but owing to theposition in which gear 43 is placed at the commencement of theoperation, this actuation of the tool does not commence until the toolhas passed to the left to a position beyond the pipe collar and thethreads 011 the pipe. Thus, no cuts are made in the pipe at the threadedpart. Then, as the cutter head moves further to the left, the successivetool carriers come into operative engagement with gear 43, until,finally all of the tool carriers are in engagement with gear 43 and allthe tool carriers are being actuated by that gear. Then, carriage 12 isconnected to the lead screw, so that then the cutter head 22 and gear4-3 will advance together through the pipe. The pipe is constantlyrotated; and the cam. action at 49 is intermittently throwing all. thetool carriers and tools out to cutting position. The tools therefore allcut at once; but each tool only takes a light cut, by reason of thesettings of the tool heretofore described. Due to the fact that the pipeis constantly rotating and the cutter head is constantly advancing, eachtool makes a cut on a spiral line. The ratio of pipe rotation to forwardfeed is in this present machine, so arranged that each tool follows inthe same relative spiral line of travel. In, other words, thearrangement here is similar to what the arrangement would be if anordinary single spiral thread were being cut with a plurality of tools.one following the other. However, it will be easily understood that byproper proportion between the rotation of the pipe and the spacing ofthe tools and the advancing feed, the arrangement can be made similar tothat in which a double spiral thread is being cut by a plurality oftools or plurality of sets of tools. Furthermore, in the particulararrangement I show here, the cam action at 49 is so timed with mainshaft 27 (by proper ratio of gears 50 and 51) that the outward actuationof the tool carriers takes place, not at angular intervals that areexactly divisible into 360, but at intervals that will give what may bedefined as an advance of perforations in successive spiral steps. Forinstance, the ratios may be designed so that the tools are movedoutwardly at intervals of say 92 rotation of the pipe. This, of course,means that every fourth cut in the pipe will not be in axialalignn'ient, but that each fourth cut will. be

advanced ahead of the fourth preceding cut by an angle of 8; and thusthe individual cuts in the pipe will not only extend spirally (eachindividual out having a spiral extent), but the rows of cuts, instead ofbeing straight along the length of the pipe, will also lie in a linethat is a long spiral around the pipe. This is also the reason for theplacement of the tool carriers at an angle to each other, ashereinbefore explained; be cause the tools are all workingsimultaneously. And therefore, in such an arrangement as here stated,the angle between adjacent tool carriers will also be an angle of 8. Itwill be readily seen that by varying this angle between tool carriersand correspond ingly varying the ratio of the gears at 50- 51, the pitchof the spiral row of cuts may be varied as desired. In fact, by pro-perarrangement the rows of cuts may be made to stand in lines axial of thepipe.

The operation as described goes on until the head end of tool actuatinggear 43 reaches a point near the head end of pipe P (a position such asillustrated in Fig. 6). Then carriage 1:2 is again locked to the frameto hold gear 43 stationary while the cutter head moves on toward theposition shown in. Fig. 6. As the tool carriers pass the head end ofgear 43 they are no longer moved outwardly, and therefore the cutsthrough the pipe may be stopped at any desired place in the pipe, as forinstance, just at the end of the threaded end portion of the pipe. Thecutter head moves on then until the last tool has taken its last cut.Then the out ter head and gear 43 are run back to their originalpositions and the pipe removed.

In the mechanism I have described each individual cut through the pipewall extends spirally. By slight modification I may vary the machine tomake each cut extend directly around the pipe. The spiral direction ofthe cuts is due to the constant forward feeding of the cutter head; butby making gear 36 a mutilated gear or partially mutilated, asillustrated in Fig. 12, I may produce such a disposition of the cuts asis illustrated in F 13. For instance, gear 36 may slide longitudinallyon main drive shaft 27 and may have a portion 36 with no teeth; so thatduring a certain portion of rotation of pipe P the cutter head will notbe advanced this period of rest of the cutter head being arranged tocoincide with the period during which the tools are at their outercutting positions. Then the toothed part 36 of gear 36 would rotate thelead screw suiiiciently to bring the cutter head forward a distanceequal to the distance between successive sets of cutters. Forconvenience, the gear 36 may have only a part of its face mutilated,having continuous teeth on the other part of its face, as illustrated at36 Fig. 12, so that the lead screw may be driven continuously ifdesired.

Having described a preferred form ofmy invention, I claim:

1. In a machine for operating internally upon a pipe or the like, meansto support the pipe, a cutter head and means to advance the head withinthe pipe, a cutter movable in said head, means movable independently ofthe cutter head and adapted to: move the cutter with reference to saidhead, and means to establish relative rotary cutting movement betweenthe pipe and the cutter head.

2. In a machine for operating internally upon a pipe or the like, meansto support the pipe, a cutter head and means to advance the head withinthe pipe, a cutter movable in said head, means movable independently ofthe cutter head and adapted to move the cutter with reference to saidhead, and means to establish relative rotation on the axis of the pipebetween the pipe and the cutter head.

3. In a machine for operating internally upon a pipe or the like, meansto support the pipe, a cutter head and means to advance the head withinthe pipe, a cutter movable in said head, means movable independently ofthe cutter head and adapted to move the cutter with reference to saidhead, mechanism to actuate said last mentioned means intermittently intimed relation to relative rotary movement between the pipe and thecutter head, and means to establish relative rotary movementbetween thepipe and the cutter head on the axis of the pipe.

l. In a machine for operating internally upon a pipeor the like, a bedframe, means for rotatably supporting the pipe on the frame and drivingmeans to rotate the pipe; a carriage slidably mounted on the bed frameand carrying a cutter head adapted to be moved lengthwise inside thepipe; a cutter in said head and movable therein to be projected out intocutting engagement with the wall of the pipe, a longitudinally movablemember, movable independently of the cutter head and adapted to liewithin the cutter head, another carriage to which said last mentionedmember is connected having longitudinal movement, said last mentionedmember cooperating with the cutter to move it in the cutter head, andmechanism to actuate said last mentioned member.

5. In a machine for operating internally upon a pipe or the like, a bedframe, means for rotatably supporting the pipe on the frame and drivingmeans to rotate the pipe; a carriage slidably mounted on the bed frameand carrying a cutter head adapted to be moved lengthwise inside thepipe, a cutter in said head and movable therein to be projected out intocutting engagement with the wall of the pipe, a longitudinal shaft onwhich said member is mounted, said shaft extending through said cutterhead, another carriage to which said shaft is connected for'longitudinalmovement, and cam mechanism driven in timed relation with the pipe driveand oscillating the said shaft to cause said member to move the cutter.

6..In a machine for operating internally upon a pipe or the like, a bedframe, means thereon for rotatably supporting a pipe in longitudinalposition, and means to rotate the pipe; a carriage movable on the bedframe, a tube attached to and extending longitudinally from saidcarriage, a cutter head on the end of said tube, and adapted to be movedlongitudinally within the pipe, a cutter in the cutter head and movabletransversely thereof to be projected out into cutting engagement withthe wall of the pipe, a gear adapted to lie within the cutter head andadapted by oscillatory movement to move the cutter in and out, a gearshaft extending through said tube and beyond its end, another carriageto which the end of the gear shaft is connected for longitudinalmovement, said carriages and said gear and cutter head beinglongitudinally movable independently of each other so as to move saidgear into and out of operative relation to the cutter in the cutterhead, and means to oscillate said gear shaft.

7. In a machine for operating internally upon a pipe or the like, a bedframe, means thereon for rotatably supporting a pipe in longitudinalposition, and means to rotate the pipe; a carriage movable on the bedframe, a tube attached to and extending longitudinally from saidcarriage, a cutter heat on the end of said tube, and adapted to be movedlongitudinally within the pipe, a cutter in the cutter head and movabletransversely thereof to be projected out into cutting engagement withthe wall of the pipe, agear adapted to lie within the cutter head andadapted by oscillatory movement to move the cutter in and out, a gearshaft extending through said tube and beyond its end, another carriageto which the end of the gear shaft is connected for longitiulinalmovement, said carriages and said gear and cutter head beinglongitudinally movable independently of each other so as to move saidgear into and out of operative relation to the cutter head, and means tooscillate said gear shaft comprising a cam mechanism driven from themeans that rotates the pipe.

8. In a device of the character specified in claim 1, furthercharacterized by a plurality of cutters in the cutter head and by themeans for actuating the cutters being engagea-ble with some or all ofthe cutters simultaneously.

9. In a device of the character described, means to support a pipe, aninternal cutter head having a plurality of transverse ways. toolcarriers movable in saidways, cutting tools carried by said carriers,means to give to the pipe and head a relative motion so that the severalcutting tools follow each other in a single path on the pipe, the toolsbe ing set in said carriers at progressively increasing distances ofprojection, and means in the cutter head to project and retract the toolcarriers.

10. In a device of the character described, means to support a pipe, aninternal cutter head having a plurality of transverse Ways, toolcarriers movable in said ways, cutting tools carried by said carriers,means to give to the pipe and head a relative motion so that the severalcutting tools follow each other in a single path on the pipe, the toolsbeing set in said carriers at progressively increasing distances ofprojection, and means in the cutter head to intermittently project andretract the tool carriers simultaneously and equally.

11. In a device of the character described, a cutter head having aplurality of trans verse ways, tool carriers movable in said ways,cutting tools carried by said carriers, the tools being set in saidcarriers at progressively increasing distances of projection and meansin the cutter head to project and retract the tool carriers, each toolcarrier having rack teeth, and said means embodying an oscillating gearengageable with some or all oi. said rack teeth.

12. In a device for internal operations on a pipe or the like, means forsupporting the pipe, a tool head adapted for longitudinal movementwithin the pipe, a tool carried in the head and movable transverselythereof to be moved out into engagement with the pipe wall, means toactuate said tool in the head, said means being movable longitudinallyindependently of the head so as to move it and the tool into and out ofoperative connection with each other, and means to establish relativemovement between the pipe and the tool head.

13. In a machine for operating internally on a pipe or the like, meansto support the pipe, a tool head and means to move it longitudinallythrough the pipe, means to establish relative rotation between the pipeand tool head, a tool mounted in the head and n'iovable in and out, andmechanism to move said tool in such timed relation with the saidrelative rotation that the angular distance of rotation betweensuccessive movements of the tool is not an exact divisor of 360.

14:. In a device for internal operations on a pipe or the like, means tosupport the pipe, a tool head and means to move it longitudinallythrough the pipe, means to establish relative rotation between the pipeand tool head, a plurality of tools mounted in the head to move in andout in a direction transverse of the head, said tools being spaced aparta distance equal to the longitudinal travel of the head during onerotation of the pipe, means to intermittently move said tools outwardlysimultaneously,

mechanism actuating said last mentioned means in timed relation to saidrotation and at angular intervals that are divisors of an angle not 360;and said tools being mounted in said head so that the planes determinedby the rotational axis and two acent tools make an angle with each otherequal to the dili'erence between said last mentioned angle and 360.

15. In a machine for operating internally upon a pipe or the like, meansto support the pipe, a cutter head and means to support said head insidethe pipe, means to give the pipe and cutter head a relative move ment, acutter movable in the head, and means to move said cutter intermittentlyin and out with reference to the head in timed relation to the relativemovement between the pipe and head, so that during said relativemovement the cutter intermittently engages the pipe at spaced points 16.In a machine for operating internally upon a pipe or the like, means tosupport the pipe, a cutter head and means to advance the headlongitudinally within the pipe, a cutter mounted in the head and movabletherein to be moved out into cutting engagement with the pipe, meansassociated with the cutter head engageable with the cutter and operativeto move it out into engagement with the pipe, said means beingdisengageable from the cutter'by longitudinal movement relative to thehead, and means whereby the head and cutter actuating means may beadvanced together through the pipe or the head may be advancedindependently.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 20th day of March, 1923.

IVILLIAM WALTER HARTMAN.

